Infant&#39;s sleeping garment



Aug. 27, 1957 M. M. PARISH INFANTS SLEEPING GARMENT 3 Sheet's-Sheet l INVENTOR.

M/LDRED M. PAR/Sh' Filed June l5, 1955 Aug. 27, 1957 M. M. PARISH INFANT'S SLEEPING GARMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 13, 1955 Aug. 27, 1957 M. M. PARlSH INFANT'S SLEEPING GARMENT Fileduune 15, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 NVENTOR. M/Lf- M. PAR/5H BY @mandi/WWW ATTORNEYS tates Patent dice 2,803,824 INFANTS SLEEPING GARMENT Mildred M. Parish, Oakland, Calif. Application .Iune 13, 1955, Serial No. 514,903 6 Claims. (Cl. 2-69.5)

This invention relates to a new and improved infants sleeping garment.

The particular embodiment of the invention which is illustrated in the drawings and which will be described hereinafter in greater detail comprises a tubular bag component comprising front and back sections of material joined along their side margins and unjoined along their top and bottom margins establishing top and bottom openings each extending the full width of the bag. The front section is formed with a centrally located neck opening cut-out extending downwardly from thetop margins of said front section. A pair of shoulder liaps disposed to opposite sides of the neck opening are provided for embracing the shoulder regions of an infant within the bag component. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each shoulder flap is joined to or is formed as an integral extension ofthe top margin of the front section of material defining the bag component. The unsecured ap portion is folded along its line of joinder interiorly of the bag component to lie contiguous against the back bag component section. Means such as tie ribbons are provided for closing the bag component sections together around the neckline of the garment to insure a proper t around an infants neck. Furthermore, thebottom access opening of the bag component is provided with a readily openable pocket liap closure operable to normally close the bottom opening and prevent an infant from kicking his feet through the bottom opening or from pulling the bag component upwardly over his legs or body.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an infant sleeping garment having the combined advantages of safety, wearing comfort and warmth, simplicity of construction and convenience of use.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a sleeping-bag type garment constructed to prevent a child from either working his body out of the bag or from withdrawing his head inside of the bag which latter circumstance can result in the danger of suifocation. At the same time the bag is constructed to present top and bottoni access openings extending the full width of the bag. This permits the garment to initially be slipped over a childs head and shoulders as a dress or pullover shirt when initially dressing the infant in the garment. The access opening at the bottom of the bag also permits the garment to be slipped up over the legs and lower body regions of an infant within the bag to facilitate changing of diapers and the like, and without having to undress or remove the infant from the garment.

By making the bag in the nature of an open-ended tubular structure, it is extremely simple to launder the article and to suspend it from a clothes rack or line after washing in such manner as to facilitate rapid and thorough drying of the garment.

The garment is also constructed so as to provide maximum comfort and freedom of movement of the infant Within the bag component. Unlike some prior art sleeping-bag type garments of which I have knowledge, the present construction does not provide or incorporate any components that restrict the childs freedom of body, leg and arm movements within the bag component itself. The only part of the present garment that is especially fitted to the infants body is around the neckline. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the neck opening is adjusted to size by means of tie ribbons. In practice it is of course desirable to adjust the size of the neck opening by the tie ribbons so as to restrain passage of either the childs shoulders or head through the opening, while leaving suiTicient neck opening clearance for safety wearing comfort.

Other numerous objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following specication and referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar characters of reference represent corresponding parts in each of the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of a pattern cut-out of the bag component.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational vi-ew of the garment in assembled condition showing portions broken away in section.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view ofthe garment.

Fig. 6 is a ,transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 6 -6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan View of the lower regions of the garment showing the bottom closure in open condition.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational View of the garment with bib accessory attached thereto.

Referring now more specically to the drawings, the present garment consists of a tubular bag component indicated generally at A and comprising front and back sections of material indicated at l0 and 11.

Fig. l illustrates a pattern from which the major p0rtions of the garment can be folded and stitched. To facilitate an understanding as to how the garment may be manufactured from the pattern blank shown in Fig. l, I have indicated certain fold lines in elongated dash lines.

I prefer to fold the pattern form shown in Fig. l along its medial axis 12 to define the front and back sections 1i) and 11 which are stitched as at 13 along their adjacent side margins. The top and bottom margins of the front and back sections are not stitched or joined together so as to leave top and bottom access openings Ar and A2 extending the l'ull width of the bag component.

A pair of identically formed generally triangular-shaped shoulder tlaps indicated at i4 and lo are formed as an integral extension of front section 10. It is appreciated that the shoulder iiap portions could, if desired, be made of separate pieces of material and joined to the top margins of the front sections by stitching or the like.

In the assembled condition of the garment, each shoulder iiap is integrally joined to the front section l0 from a point adjacent a side margin of the bag component and extending inwardly toward the centrally located neck opening 17 formed in the material. The neck opening 17 is cut from the front section .1.6i and from the inner side margins ida and 16a of the shoulder iiaps.

As indicated, particularly in Figs. l, 2 and 4, each flap is folded along its line 18 of integral joinder to front section 10 inwardly through the top access opening of the bag component to lie contiguous against the interior of the back section 11. The outer side margins 14h and 161 of the flaps are each stitched interiorly of the bag component to an adjacent side margin thereof. The unattached edges of the shoulder aps 14 and 16 and the neck opening 17 all may be suitably hemmed or trimmed by piping, such as indicated at t9.

Two pairs of diagonally crossed tie ribbons such as shown at 21 and 22, respectively, connect the inner sides lia and i6a of the shoulder flaps with the back section 11 of the bag component. This arrangement of tie ribbons permits the size of the neck opening 17 to be appropriately adjusted in size to safely and comfortably accommodate the infant wearers neck. As previously noted, the tie ribbons are tied in such fashion as to prevent an infant from working his shoulders, hands or any part of his body outwardly through the neck opening, or from withdrawing his head through the opening into the interior of the bag component where danger from soffocation would result.

ln initially clothing an infant within the garment, it is convenient to slip the bag component, bottom end first, over the head of the child. The garment is fitted so that the neck opening l circumvents the neck of the child whereupon the tie ribbons 2l and 22 are tied to appropriate neck opening size. When the garment is in proper position, the infants shoulders are disposed between the front section I@ and the shoulder flaps ld and llo which, as above noted, are folded interiorly of the bag component to lie contiguous against the back section il. Hence, the shoulder flaps 14 and I6 establish in effect a closure extending suostantially the full width across the top opening of the bag to either side of the neck opening and function to restrain an infant from projecting his hands or any portion of his body through the top opening once he has been placed inside of the garment and the tie ribbons secured.

ln order to prevent an infant from kicking his feet or legs through the bottom access opening A2 of the bag component or from pulling the bag upwardly over his legs, I provide a readily openable pocket-flap closure, such as indicated generally at 2i), for normally lclosing the said bottom access opening. More specifically, the pocket-liep closure comprises an outer pocket ap 23 which is formed as an integral bottom marginal extension of the back section lll. As shown in Fig. 3, flap 23 is folded forwardly and upwardly to overlie the front bottom marginal portions of the front section lil. The side edges of the flap section 23 are secured along stitched lines 2d to the side margins of the bag component A. The bottom extremities of the front section I@ are preferably folded inwardly to define an inner ap or folded section 26 which is also secured at its side edges to the side margins of the bag component by said stitched lines 24.

The inner and outer pocket folds 23 and 26 have been found adequate to restrain an infant from kicking his legs out through the bottom opening or from pulling the bag over his feet or legs. At the same time, and as illustrated particularly in Fig. 7, the flap closure 22 can be readily manually opened merely by pulling the bottom extremities of front section It) (including integral ap extension 26) outwardly from confinement within the outer pocket iiap extension 23, whereby the said front and back sections can be widely separated and opened to permit the lower end of the bag component to be slipped up along the legs and lower body regions of an infant dressed within the bag. Such an arrangement is extremely convenient in making diaper changes as it is both unnecessary to remove the garment from the child or to uncover his upper body or torso regions to effect the change.

Fig. 8 discloses a removable bib 30 made of terry cloth or other suitable absorbent and easily washable material attached to the bag component A. The bib is formed with a neckline defined by a collar 31 of generally the same contour as neck opening 17. The raw edges of the bib material are trimmed with piping such as indicated at 32. The bib may be easily detachably affixed to the bag component by means of conventional snap fasteners 33 or the like provided adjacent the top margin of the bib and the top margin of the back section 1I of the bag component A respectively. I have found that the bib accessory is particularly advantageous in that it is located immediately below the mouth and chin regions of an infant so as to absorb sputum, and consequently functions to maintain the sleepingebag garment clean and dry. Should the bib itself become unduly damp or soiled, it may be easily removed and replaced by a fresh bib without having to undress the child.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention as limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

l. An infants sleeping garment comprising a tubular bag component comprising front and back sections of material joined along their side margins and unjoined along their top and bottom margins defining top and bottom access openings extending substantially the full width of the bag component; a centrally located neck opening formed in the material defining the top margin of the bag component; a pair of shoulder flaps disposed to V opposite sides of the neck opening to embrace the shoulder regions of an infant within the bag; one margin of each iiap joined to the top margin of one of said sections of material; each flap joined to its associated section of material along a line of joinder extending inwardly from a point adjacent a side margin of the bag component toward said centrally located neck opening; each ilap folded along its said line of joinder to an associated sec` tion of material inwardly through the top access opening of the bag component to lie contiguous against the opposite section of material; the outer side margin of each flap being secured interiorly of the bag component to an adjacent side margin of said bag component.

2. The combination of claim l and wherein means are provided for releasably connecting the inner margins of the shoulder aps and the back section together adjacent opposite sides of the neck opening.

3. An infants sleeping garment comprising a tubular bag component comprising front and back sections of material joined along their side margins and unjoined along their top and bottom margins defining top and bottom access openings extending substantially the full width of the bag component; a pair of shoulder flaps disposed to opposite sides of the neck opening to ernbrace the shoulder regions of an infant within the bag; a centrally located neck opening formed through the front section of material and inner margins of said naps; a first margin of each flap joined to the top margin of the front bag section of material along a line of joinder extending from a point adjacent a side margin of the bag component inwardly toward said centrally located neck opening; a second margin of each ap secures1 interiorly of the bag component to an adjacent side margin of said bag component; each flap folded along its said line of joinder inwardly through the top access opening of the bag component to lie contiguous against the back section of material.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein means comprising tie ribbons are provided for releasably connecting the inner margins of said tiaps to said back section of material together for adjusting the size of neck opening.

5. The combination of claim 3 and wherein manually openable closure means are provided for normally closing the bottom access opening of said bag component.

6. The combination of claim 3 and wherein the bottom marginal extremities of said back section extend a substantial distance beyond the bottom marginal extremities of said front section defining a pocket extension flap; said pocket extension tiap folded frontwards and upwards to overlie the bottom marginal extremities of said front flap; said pocket extension flap secured at its side edges to the side margins of said bag component establishing a manually openable closure means normally closing the bottom access opening of said bag component.

Idelman Jan. 7', 1941 Elkins Apr. 29, 1947 

